Campaign Provides an Opportunity for Community to be a Part of the Revitalization

Newport, RI (PRWEB) April 02, 2013

The Doris Duke Monument Foundation (DDMF), an offshoot of the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF), announced today that it has launched a Kickstarter campaign to support the installation of environmentally friendly LED lighting in Queen Anne Square in Newport. Kickstarter is an innovative online platform used to help fund creative projects. The DDMF announced in 2011 that it would be refurbishing the park with an installation by artist Maya Lin as a gift to the City of Newport. The project was approved by the Newport City Council in December of 2011 and ground was broken in Fall of 2012. The project is slated to be dedicated on May 31st.

“Enhanced lighting has always been a key element to Maya Lin’s design of the park. As we moved forward with construction and researched more options, we determined that the LED lighting, in fact the same that is used in New York’s Central Park, was a great addition to the design,” said Pieter N. Roos, Executive Director. “We believe the Kickstarter campaign will allow more supporters, locally and beyond, to become a part of our revitalization efforts and join in this historic effort to improve Newport’s Queen Anne Square.”

The LED lighting will help reduce energy usage by 78 percent. The new fixtures would provide appropriate lighting along pathways in the park where there is currently none, yet will not overwhelm the space. In addition, the lamp posts are designed to exactly duplicate the historic lamp posts found throughout the neighborhood. The LED lighting is a first for the City of Newport, providing a new aesthetic and environmental standard.

The campaign entitled “Lighting the Way to A Revitalized Queen Anne Square”. Those interested can pledge their support on the Queen Anne Square page on the Kickstarter web site.

Formed in 2010 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the DDMF, is an offshoot of the NRF. It is raising funds for the project at Queen Anne Square through a combination of private and foundation support for both construction and future maintenance. For more information regarding the DDMF, please visit http://www.DDMF.org.

Founded by Doris Duke in 1968, NRF was created to rescue Newport’s dilapidated homes, many of which were at risk of being demolished. Today, NRF owns 82 historic structures of which 70 are lived in by individual tenant-stewards. For this continuing work, NRF was honored with a Stewardship Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2010. NRF operates three museum sites: Rough Point, the former home of Doris Duke; Whitehorne House, displaying a collection of early American furniture; and Prescott Farm in Middletown, featuring historic buildings on a preserved rural landscape. A non-profit institution, the foundation continues to be actively engaged in historic preservation, educational programming and scholarly research. http://www.NewportRestoration.org